First time on Celebrity (Reflection), tips for our first time?

[Team Stag]

My Tip for the first time on the ship is don't over research it.  Don't spend hours on Cruise Critic, don't youtube videos, don't ask for a bunch of "what to do".  As we get older and with the benefit of technology, seeing things for the first time in person and allowing ourselves to be "wowed" is becoming more and more rare.  Just go and enjoy the excitement of something new experienced in person (which was a tough lesson for me to learn growing up with the motto of Be Prepared 😁)

[ScottC4746]

On 4/27/2024 at 12:08 PM, kaz828 said:

We are two adults, mid forties and doing our first Celebrity cruise on the Reflection in June. Anything we need to know? 
Anything we for sure should check out or do? 

We have been on Celebrity (X) once on the Solstice coming from RCCL.  We tried HAL as we were over the pool parties and theme park vibe RCCL is heading to but we were too young for HAL.  The sidewalks roll up about 830 PM but other than that we loved it.

We then tried X and we are hooked.  Our Activities Director was Giuseppi who sadly actually works at corporate but he was finishing out the season. I was always switching the TV on first thing in the morning to watch him give highlights of the day.

You will LOVE X.  I speak of the Solstice so not sure about your ship, but once we quit going to the buffet, the food quality was so much better.  They did B, L, D daily in the main dining room.

Live shows were great - comedian not so much.  I thought I would miss the bingo games as X does not do them but Deal or No Deal, which we did not participate in and I was glad they weren't pushing bingo or their game down our throats.

The adult pool was a nice escape from the music and what few kids were on our cruise.  Being Alaska it was also warmer too.

Do a couples pedicure on a sea day.  DH and I did it and it was so relaxing to watch the sea go by while getting the tootsies pampered.  They don't sell it that way, we had to schedule two at the same time.

[Pantheral]

I think it is hard to get caught up in a lot of must do's especially when hearing from those of us who have had occasion to cruise Celebrity on multiple occasions.

 

My main advice is to (REF) Relax, Explore and have Fun!!! Reflection is a favorite ship of ours mainly because of the multitude of options available to passengers. For dinner you can dine casually at the Oceanview cafe, have a served meal in the dining room, or enjoy a dinner at 6 specialty restaurants. If you are in a suite you can also add Luminae and Blu to your dining options.

 

There are multiple bars all over the ship, each with it's own vibe and potential for live entertainment. There is a wonderful coffee/pastry bar. The casino is one of the nicest at sea. We are not spa people, but always hear good things!!

 

Wishing you a wonderful cruise!

[Tom and Ingrid]

@Pantheral is spot on with the REF!  When I was a new cruiser (and now as a "seasoned" cruiser), I found a ton of joy in boarding a new ship and exploring all the public spaces. Not all in the first day, but over the course of the cruise.  This means taking new routes between different points - and even at different times of the day/night.  

 

What's great about a cruise, too, is that you then get to explore a new port regularly, so the exploration is on the ship and then on the land.

 

A few posters have noted the unique bits about the Reflection, but keep in mind, it is a sister ship to the other Solstice class ships (Solstice, Silhouette, Eclipse, and Equinox), so there is a great deal of "overlap" in configuration and amenities. If you see threads on the other ships, there is likely nuggets of info in those threads that might also pertain to the Reflection.  I suggest spending a little time familiarizing yourself with the deck plans - particularly decks 3-5 and 14-15 where most of the food and activities will occur.

 

What I find "generically" true for Celebrity is that "base fare" is already pretty darn good, and adding the layering of things like drink plans, or specialty dining, or Aqua class, or other upgrades are very specific to individual tastes.  The food is already very good for all passengers. The service is already very good for all passengers. The shows are already entertaining for all passengers. Etc..  IOW, the temptation on a first cruise might be to go all in or risk FOMO, but I'd guess almost all experienced cruisers here have their own list of must haves and don't want/needs. 

 

Enjoy the experience and use it as a nice stepping stone to your next cruise 🙂. 

[Saturngrl]

Keep a manual watch on ship's time at all times.  Cell phones in port change to local time, which may cause you to miss the ship.  I always make sure we are back on board at least two hours before sailaway.  Reasons:  1.  Less waiting in line out in the blazing sun to board ship and 2.  time to get cleaned up on holler at the pier runners who waited until the last minute to board.  

[D. B.]

5 hours ago, ScottC4746 said:

We have been on Celebrity (X) once on the Solstice coming from RCCL.  We tried HAL as we were over the pool parties and theme park vibe RCCL is heading to but we were too young for HAL.  The sidewalks roll up about 830 PM but other than that we loved it.

We then tried X and we are hooked.  Our Activities Director was Giuseppi who sadly actually works at corporate but he was finishing out the season. I was always switching the TV on first thing in the morning to watch him give highlights of the day.

You will LOVE X.  I speak of the Solstice so not sure about your ship, but once we quit going to the buffet, the food quality was so much better.  They did B, L, D daily in the main dining room.

Live shows were great - comedian not so much.  I thought I would miss the bingo games as X does not do them but Deal or No Deal, which we did not participate in and I was glad they weren't pushing bingo or their game down our throats.

The adult pool was a nice escape from the music and what few kids were on our cruise.  Being Alaska it was also warmer too.

Do a couples pedicure on a sea day.  DH and I did it and it was so relaxing to watch the sea go by while getting the tootsies pampered.  They don't sell it that way, we had to schedule two at the same time.

You are wrong about Bingo.

 It has been reinstated fleetwide on Celebrity.

 I think people were put off by DorNoD and missed Bingo.